The Necklace
by mrsthomasfelton
Summary: This is just a short story that was inspired by a book I read ages ago. I can't even remember what the book was called, but thought I would publish this, and hope to get feedback!


The Necklace

My mother had a necklace. It was made out of sterling silver, with a pendant of amber, amethyst and aquamarine. She wore it all the time, no matter what she was doing. It was the most exquisite necklace I had ever seen; I didn't think she would ever be parted with it.

So when I came downstairs on the morning of my sixteenth birthday and noticed she wasn't wearing the necklace, I became conscious that something wasn't right. After I had opened all my presents, my mother pulled a beautifully wrapped present from under the sofa and gave it to me. I slowly shelled the gorgeous gold paper from the outside of the box shaped present. Inside was a truly beautiful jewellery box with stunning embroidery all over. I carefully lifted the lid of the box and gently moved the cloud like cotton wool that lay protecting whatever was inside.

Under the cotton wool was the necklace.

Later that night, I sat awake in my room, staring at the necklace that had hung around mum's neck for as long as I can remember. All mum had ever told me about the necklace was that it had been passed down through our family for generations.

I don't know how long I sat awake, but eventually I must have drifted off, because the next thing I remember, I was woken up by a blinding white light. It wasn't coming from anything exactly; it just seemed to be there. It reminded me of the first layer of snow you get overnight in winter, pure snow that had never been trod on: the whitest white you can imagine. Then, just as suddenly as the light had appeared, it went away again. That was when I heard the ominous footsteps climbing the stairs. I felt my blood turn to ice. The footsteps were getting nearer now. Slowly the door handle turned. The door creaked open.

A translucent figure appeared in the doorway. As it came closer, I realised it was a woman of about age 45. She looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place her. She kept coming closer and closer, until there was no way for me to escape.

'Kathleen.' The woman addressed me. 'Happy birthday.' I had no idea how she knew my name, or how she knew it was my birthday. My shock must have shown on my face, because she spoke again, 'I suppose you are wondering who I am and why I am here.' She paused, and looked me straight in the eyes.

'I see that you have inherited the Carpenter eyes.' I just stared at her. I couldn't seem to make my mouth work with my brain. Eventually I managed to force something out.

'I – I – I don't understand... why are you here?'

'To let you know the real value of the necklace you are wearing right now.'

As she spoke, her gaze slipped down to the pendant around my neck. As she looked at it, it almost seemed as if the necklace was tightening around my neck: choking me. I fiddled with the chain nervously, waiting to hear what she had to say.

She slowly lifted her gaze back to my eyes.

'I know this is going to be a lot to take in, but you need to know the truth. You need to make a decision that could be the most important decision of your life. What I'm about to tell you will affect you for the rest of eternity: trust me, I've lived it myself, and it stills haunts me even now, a quarter of a century after my death. That is why I had to come back.'

My grandmother's ghost then went on to tell me one of the strangest tales I have ever heard.

'There was once a girl, who many years ago, offended the old hag of her village. This old hag decided to get revenge and put a curse on the girl. The curse meant that from now until the end of the earth she would only be able to bear one child, a girl, and that child one girl and so on and so forth. It also meant that from the girls' sixteenth birthdays, they would slowly rot from the inside out, until they died a terribly painful early death. The girl's family searched the land for something to end or prevent the effects of the curse. They eventually found a necklace (the one that you are wearing around your neck) that contained the right combination of elements to slow down the process; however there was only one necklace like this in the whole of the world, and by that stage the girl had a small child, and was on the verge of death. That girl was your great-great-great-great-grandmother. That is why the necklace has been passed down from generation to generation.'

'So what you're saying is that if I was to take the necklace off for any great length of time, I would die?'

'That is how the legend goes.'

'But you can't actually believe this right?'

'I died. My mother died. Her mother died. I know it's not much to go on, after all everybody dies, but every woman in this family has only ever had one daughter. That daughter she has given the necklace to on her sixteenth birthday, and they are dead within three years.

'How long do you think until...' I trailed off, not knowing exactly how to finish that sentence, not even sure I wanted to know the answer.

'... Until your mother dies? On average it has been about two years, but it does vary depending on how much time she has spent without the necklace on over the years.'

'But is there no way of stopping the curse?'

'There is no way I am aware of. But I did not think you believed in it anyway?'

'I don't, but...' I trailed off as I realised my grandmother had gone with another blinding flash of light.

In the end mum died exactly two months after my 18th birthday. I don't know whether it was the curse or not; all the doctors would tell me was that it was from natural causes which didn't really explain much. She had made all the burial arrangements herself. She had known exactly who she wanted to invite, what music she wanted and where she wanted it (at the same church as my grandmother) and she was going to be buried in the family plot in the graveyard.

Before the burial we had a sort of family do, but seeing as me and granddad were the only ones of my mother's family left, it was mainly her closest friends: the ones who had come to visit when she really got ill. It was held in our old house, granddad and I had already emptied the upstairs, and the house had potential buyers already.I couldn't eat a thing: everything just tasted like those polystyrene nuggets you get in packages. Instead I decided to wander around the house one last time.

I started in mum's room. The room where all this had started. I looked down at the necklace that still hung around my neck. I had been in blissful ignorance before mum had given me the necklace.

I went into my old room next. I sat on the floor where the bed had been and shut my eyes. If I tried really hard, I could remember every single detail from that monumental night. Even now over two years later, whenever I see a bright white light, I can see my grandmother in it.

'Kay?' I could hear granddad calling me downstairs.

'Coming Granddad!' I wasn't at all ready for this, but I knew it had to be done.

Mum's burial was a quiet affair. The coffin was lowered into the grave; then came the dropping of the earth into the grave. Auntie Kerri and Auntie Jo (the two people that mum was closest to) squeezed my hand, then turned and went back to the house. It was just me and granddad by the graveside now. Granddad looked at me. I nodded my head, and he hugged me tight, then he went back as well.

I waited until everyone was out of sight, so it was just me and mum. I carefully unclasped the necklace from around my neck, and gently tossed it into the grave on top of the coffin. I felt a weight lift from around my shoulders. Generations of unhappiness would soon be over. In under three short years it would be broken forever. In one short second, it was all over. I sank to the floor as the full impact of what I had just done hit me. I pulled my knees up to my chest, and cried until I had no more tears left.

'I love you mum' I whispered.

The wind through the trees sounded like people applauding from very far away. I think I know why.


End file.
